Paul Menard Finishes 12th at Michigan, Recording His 16th Top-15 Finish of 2015

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Pure Michigan 400
August 16, 2015 – Michigan International Speedway – Brooklyn, MI

Paul Menard drove the No. 27 Richmond/Menards Chevrolet SS to a 12th-place finish after starting 24th in Sunday’s 200-lap event at Michigan International Speedway. The Richard Childress Racing driver made his way to the 16th spot before the day’s first caution flag was displayed on lap one. After the restart on lap five, Menard picked up more spots and maintained his position in 12th when the NASCAR-mandated competition caution was displayed on lap 20. Crew chief Justin Alexander opted to pit for two right-side tires and fuel when pit road was open on lap 21. Menard restarted 14th on lap 24 and was in the 10th position on lap 42 when he noted a tight-handling condition early in the center of the turns. The Alexander-led team remedied the tight-handling on laps 60, 73, 114, 122, 125 and 164 for a combination of four and two-tire stops with wedge adjustments as well as a fuel-only stop. Menard raced as high as fourth before taking the final green flag from eighth and crossing the finish line 12th. This marks the No. 27 team’s fourth-consecutive and 16th top-15 finish of 2015. Menard is now 11th in the championship point standings and 13th on the Chase for the Sprint Cup Grid. Up next for the team is Saturday night’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

It was a decent day. We didn’t practice or qualify very well, but made up a lot of spots early in the race. Then we just got too tight during the second half of the race to really do much. The guys keep fighting hard. We finish top 15 like every week. I just want to get in the top five and the top 10 more often. That is what we need to do to compete in the Chase. – Paul Menard

Start – 24, Finish – 12, Laps Led – 0, Owner’s Points – 11